Mein Engel
by Matilda384
Summary: A story of why Wolfgang and Felix were best friends from the beginning.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm thinking this could be multi-chapter if people really like it. So let me know what you think.**

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"Disrespectful!"

The teacher's voice shouted across the room. Young Wolfgang lowered his eyes. He was late again, all because of that one fight he just had to be a part of. All the kids were staring at him… "I'm sorry, sir." he mumbled. Someone giggled. Then a few more people. Wolfgang looked up. Oh no. This wasn't homeroom—he'd forgotten! This was the geography teacher, and _she_ was _woman_ , not a _sir!_ Immediately he felt the teacher grab him by his collar. He winced at the sudden contact. She dragged him out and tossed him into the hallway, hissing, "Get out and put your disrespectful rear in detention for the rest of my class!" With that, she slammed the classroom door. Wolfgang stood still for a moment, trying to calm his racing heart. After a moment he silently walked down the hall, a slight limp in his step from trying to hide the pain. No one liked him. Not even the teachers. After the move to East Germany, he became the most hated kid in the area. It was like everyone knew where he was from, but not at all what he lived in.

At lunchtime, Wolfgang sat at the metal table outside by himself. He didn't have a lunch to eat, but he was too sore to go play on the playground. He wasn't even sure if he knew what play was anymore. When was the last time he played? He used to have a stuffed teddy bear. What happened to that? Oh yeah…Father took it. And destroyed it in front of him. Because he was "too old" to be playing with baby toys. Wolfgang shivered at the memory of seeing his best friend's soft stuffed head being torn from its fluffy body, all the arms and legs missing already. Oh no, the tears were coming again… Just as Wolfgang almost let one fall, he heard the four boys from fifth grade that usually bullied him come up behind him where he was sitting. "Hey Wolfgang!" one of them called. "You're so stupid—calling the teacher a man! So stupid! No wonder you can't pass any of your classes! Did the streetkids beat your brains out too after they kicked the shit out of you? Huh? Why are you so stupid then, Wolfgang?" Wolfgang didn't speak. He just put his hands in his tattered jacket pockets. "Must've been all that West German shit they taught you in school." the fifth grader said. He was only a year older than Wolfgang, but boy was he scary. He was a huge kid; looked like he always ate too much at every meal. In a way, he was lucky—at least he got meals. The other fifth graders laughed. "See if we can beat some sense back into you then…" They advanced. Wolfgang immediately put his hands up to protect himself, knowing full well that these boys could beat him to a pulp and not one teacher would do anything about it—they hated him too. He pictured them all just standing there, pretending not to see him getting beaten up. He was thinking that maybe if he finally cried someone would come rescue him…when suddenly he heard a piercing whistle. "Hey! How about you stand back from him or I'll stick ya!" a high voice yelled. That could only be one person.

His angel. Felix.

The scrawny kid with the long hair he couldn't quite get all the way over to one side stomped over, hand in his jacket pocket, using his finger to make a small clicking sound against the concealed knife. If he wielded it, he could risk getting caught by a teacher. The fifth graders actually did put their hands up though, and backed up a few steps. "That's right," Felix taunted. "you come back here and I'll drive my knife right through you after school. Better not turn your back to me, or you'll get it there too. _Ficker._ " He spat as the fifth graders huddled into a pack and slunk away. Felix took his hand out of his pocket and hopped onto the metal table with Wolfgang. "Hi Wolfie," he said cheerfully, as if nothing had happened before that. Wolfgang felt a wave of relief wash over him. He always felt better when Felix was around, because Felix was smart. He was always two steps ahead of his surroundings. It gave Wolfgang the chance to just relax and let go of the constant anxiety he felt every day, even if just for a little bit. "Sorry I'm a little late, I got detention from detention." Felix explained. Wolfgang cocked his head. "I got caught throwing rocks outside the third story window in detention, and had to stay after for ten extra minutes. Herr Zeiler said it would've been fifteen if I hit anyone, but no one was walking by." Wolfgang felt a smile tug on his face. Felix opened up the brown paper bag he was carrying. "Mama gave me only half a sandwich today. She ran out of bread. But I do have an apple for you!" he offered. He pulled a small green apple from the bag and handed it to Wolfgang.

Felix always gave Wolfgang half of his sandwich every day at lunch. Sometimes, when he could, he'd sneak some candies from his teacher's reward box and give them to Wolfgang to eat when he felt faint. It wasn't often that Wolfgang got fed at home, so sometimes he'd get very dizzy and shaky when he was low on blood sugar. Rationing the stolen candies helped him keep his levels up until lunch the next day. "You're quiet today," Felix remarked as he took a bite of his sandwich. Wolfgang ran his hands over the apple. He shrugged. "Why were you late today?" Felix attempted at conversation. Wolfgang just sadly looked over at his friend. Felix stopped eating. He gently pushed the jacket's hood back off of Wolfgang's head. The bruises, dried blood, and tiny cuts became visible. Felix tried to hold back a sad sigh, but it just ghosted from his lips inevitably. "That wasn't from a street fight, yeah?" he asked quietly. Wolfgang lowered his eyes. Felix gently brushed his friend's cheek to wordlessly ask what happened. Wolfgang sniffled. "He just woke up angry, that's all." he whimpered. Felix bit his lip. "Was it bad?" he asked softly. "Did it last a long time?" Wolfgang shook his head again. He blinked tears from his eyes. "It was very fast," he murmured. "I only felt a few punches, then he knocked me out." Wolfgang rubbed at his eyes as they got redder and more teary. "That's why I was late. I didn't wake up for a while."

Felix reached over and put a gentle arm around his friend, pulling his head close so that Wolfgang could lean his onto his shoulder, and Felix could press his cheek against the top. "I-I don't want to go home again, Felix." the tiny blonde whispered. Felix hugged his shoulders closer, just rocking him ever so slightly. "Shhhh…" he whispered softly. "We can come to my house after school. Watch a movie, maybe? Or we can just sit quietly. Whatever you want to do. Mama has bandages, we can fix you up. You'd like that, yeah?" Felix tilted his head to see Wolfgang's bruised face. The smaller boy nodded and gave a hint of a smile. Felix grinned. "There you go, that's the smile I like to see." Wolfgang hid in his arms again, enjoying the peace and relief that came with being beside his best friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Felix tugged Wolfgang's hand as they ran along the dirty, crowded Berlin street. "This way! I saw it this way!" he called back to his smaller friend. Wolfgang felt himself smile a little—this was going to be an amazing find. His hand briefly slipped from Felix's, and in a moment of panic he froze and stood very still, looking every which way in an attempt to find him. But Felix turned around instantly and grabbed Wolfgang's hand again with both of his. To get lost in this part of Berlin could be deadly. Especially for someone who was already as tiny and battered as Wolfgang was. "I've got ya, Wolfie." Felix reassured with a smile.

Pushing through the crowds and never hesitating once was quite a feat, but the boys made it to the area of dark alleyways and unsettling quiet. "This way, Wolfie." Felix practically whispered. Trash and filth lined the sidewalks and blew about in the chilling wind. It wasn't much different from where Wolfgang lived anyway, but it always gave him anxiety to be in places like this—it reminded him a little _too_ much of home. A cat screeched somewhere. A gunshot banged. Felix squeezed his hand. "Not too much farther now. It was really close to here. I hope someone else didn't find—oh! There it is!" The boys ran forward eagerly, crouching down beside a garbage can. "Shoo! _Dumm Katze…_ " Felix cursed at a curious cat as he waved his arms in an attempt it away. "Wow…" Wolfgang breathed. Felix laughed in agreement. "Who knew they looked like that, yeah?" he replied. He was right—this was a treasure. Wolfgang had never seen one close up. "How do you think it died?" he whispered. Felix studied it. "It could've fallen from somewhere. They're not that smart." he reasoned. Wolfgang nodded in awe. He'd never imagined that a squirrel could die all in one piece like that. Some people didn't even die in one piece. "A cat, maybe?" he asked aloud. Felix shrugged. "A cat would've eaten it. I don't know why they're staying away though. They probably don't know they could eat it. Have you ever seen one?"

"A cat?"

"No, this. A squirrel."

"Just running. Like along the top of the fence at school. I've never been this close to one."

"I don't think I have either."

Wolfgang slowly reached out his hand. Felix instantly seized his wrist, eyes popping wide and mouth agape. "Don't touch it!" he hissed in shock. Wolfgang studied him. "Why?" he asked in reply. Felix's mouth fell even further open. "It's disgusting! I-It's _dead!_ If you touch that thing you'll get sick! Your skin could turn black and peel off as the diseases eats you inside and out, and you would be shaking and convulsing as your brain inflamed and you died…" Wolfgang studied Felix for a little while. "You're so dramatic. It's just a squirrel." And with that, he scooped the squirrel body into his hands, nearly sending Felix into a faint. The body was limp, soft even. Wolfgang became even more curious and started gently stroking the squirrel, nose to tail. After Felix nearly lost his mind yet saw his friend was giving him no attention and wasn't stopping in his decision to continue touching the animal, he too became curious and interested in how it felt. Wolfgang held it out to him. "It's very soft," he remarked in encouragement for Felix to touch it. Cautiously, and giving Wolfgang a very annoyed expression, Felix used one fingertip to brush against the squirrel. He immediately withdrew. Wolfgang grinned. "See? And you didn't even get Gangrene." he said. Felix playfully shoved him, then continued admiring the fuzzy animal.

The boys stared at the squirrel and petted it for a long time. Felix glanced over and happened to notice that Wolfgang had become rather pensive. "You alright?" he asked softly. The blonde boy nodded. He remained silent though. This didn't seem right, even though he was a generally quiet child. Felix gently nudged his shoulder. "Wolfie," he encouraged. "Talk to me. Tell me what's on your mind." It took Wolfgang a while to finally let out a small sigh. He didn't look up from the squirrel. "Have you ever seen a dead body? Like a human one?" Felix pondered the out-of-the-blue question, but he nodded. "My great-uncle died when I was too little to even use a toilet. Mama and Auntie went to the funeral, and there are picture of great-uncle Fredrich in the coffin. But one time I did think that a homeless man on the street on that walk to school was dead. He wasn't. He was sleeping. Have…have you?" Felix almost regretted asking. Almost. He was curious, but he didn't want to hurt Wolfgang. This was obviously jarring for him. The blonde boy nodded. "My mother's." he murmured.

Felix's breath caught. He couldn't believe what he'd heard. His mother's?! He saw his mother dead?! He'd always said that she was very sick and she was expected to die, so on the day she did they handled it quick. Felix reached over and put his hand on Wolfgang's arm. "Talk to me," he whispered. Wolfgang bit his lip. "I thought she was sleeping," he explained. His voice sounded strange—choked, almost. "I went to her bed and crawled in next to her. She didn't hug me, so I thought maybe she was mad at me too. I left the room because I didn't want to upset her further. But then a whole bunch of people came in and they were talking, and one came in and told me that she was dead." Now he had tears in his eyes. "Did I tell you how she died?" he asked. Felix shook his head, not really sure of what else to do. Wolfgang looked away. He was crying. The strong, tough boy that Felix knew was breaking. "She…she just…it wasn't…" he stammered. He couldn't get the words out. Felix immediately moved in closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and holding his skinny wrist with the other. He pulled Wolfgang in close. "Hey," he whispered. "Shhh… Don't tell me right now. Don't tell me. You tell me whenever you're ready, yeah? Just relax." he cooed softly and reassured Wolfgang until the boy was reduced to sniffling and whimpering. Maybe finding the squirrel wasn't such a good idea…

But suddenly, Felix thought of something. He moved so that he was kneeling in front of Wolfgang, and cupped his hands beneath the squirrel. "I know what'll make you feel better," he said, eager to cheer his friend up. Wolfgang raised sleepless eyes to read him. Felix smiled sadly. "Want to bury the squirrel? Properly? It might make you feel good." Wolfgang thought for a moment, then nodded. Felix helped him stand up. The pair walked down the alley a bit further to where the patches of dirt got bigger. Thinking ahead, Felix snagged an old rag from a garbage can on the way. He used it to wrap the squirrel body. Wolfgang dug a small hole for it, and gently laid it to rest in the dirt. The boys covered it back up, using a briquette of charcoal as the headstone. Wolfgang sat back on his heels. Felix slipped his hand into his friend's and smiled at him. "How's that?" he asked. "Now no cats will get it, no bugs, no Gangrene. You really helped it, Wolfie. Up in squirrel heaven it's thanking you. _'Danke, Wolfgang—danke fur das Speichern von mir.'_ That's what he's saying." Wolfgang smiled a little. "Is there a squirrel heaven?" he asked softly. Felix nodded. "Mama says there's a heaven for everything that lives." Wolfgang nodded. He let a few moments go by without speaking, and finally he said, "I want to go there."

Felix was caught a bit off guard. He never knew Wolfgang to be extremely religious—they were both Catholic, but neither practiced as much as they should. But for Wolfgang to say that…what did he mean? Lost for words this time, Felix smiled sheepishly and squeezed Wolfgang's hand. "I'll make a heaven here for you, that way you'll never have to leave me." he came up with. As incredibly dramatic as he knew he'd be teased for making it sound, Wolfgang actually smiled bigger. And squeezed the hand back. "I love you, Felix." he murmured. Felix smiled as well. "I love you too, Wolfie."

And at that very moment, Felix knew that they needed each other—and they would be best friends for the rest of their lives.


	3. Chapter 3

Felix shivered as he and Wolfgang hurried to school one early December morning. " _Verdammt!_ " Felix hissed. "This is brutal!" Wolfgang nodded in agreement. He hugged himself in an attempt to retain some heat and cover the holes in his gloves by sticking his hands under his arms. They trudged through the snowy streets. Wind swirled and stung their little eyes, causing their teeth to chatter with every linger flake of snow. Wolfgang coughed. "You sick?" Felix asked, squinting to see him. The other boy shook his head. They continued along their walk, too cold to make any kind of conversation. Both boys knew that the school wasn't the nicest of buildings, and it was doubtful that the heater would be up and running by the time they got there. Felix let out a growl and kicked a snow drift angrily. "Screw this!" he hollered through his bundled scarf. "Let's go back home! I don't want to go to some shitty building to have my cause of death unknown!" Wolfgang turned to look at his friend. "What are you talking about?" he asked. Felix stomped his feet as they continued walking, albeit slower, and yanked his scarf away from his mouth so he could express his point. "I'm talking about what happens when I die in that school, and they can't figure out if it's from boredom, or freezing to death!" Heaving a big sigh, Felix stopped walking. "Have you ever cut school before, Wolfie?" When Wolfgang seemed a little surprised, Felix raised a smirking eyebrow. "There's a first for everything," he reasoned. Without another word, he took Wolfgang's arm and turned their path around. Wolfgang stopped and jerked his arm back. "No! We'll get caught!" he cried out. Felix snorted. "No offense, but no one would even notice you weren't in class. And besides, do you really want to go freeze during a lecture?"

"But your Mama will hear us come in."

"Mama's already off to work. She won't even know we didn't go to school. By the time she gets home we'd be back from school anyway."

"Felix?"

"Yeah?"

"Isn't that…lying?"

"…Sometimes you gotta break out of your comfort zone to get what's best for you in life, Wolfie. Now come on, let's go!"

Felix grabbed Wolfgang's holey hand and the two hurried back down the crowded street in the opposite direction now. Felix didn't live in a particularly nice area of town—let's face it, East Germany wasn't doing well at all—but it was a lot better than where Wolfgang lived. As soon as they got to that half of town, Wolfgang started to feel a bit of relief. He was safe here. His father couldn't find him. No one could find him. It was just he and Felix. The other boy turned around to give him a smile as they rushed—now at quite a sprint—to the apartment complex Felix lived in. The boys bounced up the rickety stairs and through the icy door. Their little feet made echoey sounds as they pattered down the long, paint-chipping hallway to the apartment labeled "607C". Felix fumbled with his key for a moment, shoving it into a squeaky, rusting lock, and then pushed the heavy door open with all his might. He ushered Wolfgang inside.

Even though it wasn't the finest apartment, Wolfgang absolutely loved Felix's home. It was cozy for just being him and his mom. Sure the building wasn't up to code. Yes there were holes in the cement and chips in the paint and a weird stain on one of the walls that Felix's mother had attempted to hide with a dusty old painting. But this was more of a home to Wolfgang than he'd ever had. It just felt so warm and safe. Of course, Felix's mother had to work hard just to keep it. Two jobs, fourteen hours a day. She had just enough time for five hours of sleep and spending some time with Felix a bit in the evening and a bit in the morning. She still made time to do laundry and cook meals though. Felix never had a father. He left before Felix was even born. The boy said he never minded though, because he had his Mama and that was all that mattered to him. He wasn't an angel child, which was why sometimes it was easier for his mother to just lose a battle with him over how few times he'd bathed that week—she was too tired to get into it with him. Wolfgang had to admit that he was slightly jealous of Felix. And sometimes he got a little bothered if Felix talked back to his mother or complained about her a bit. Even if it was nothing severe, sometimes Wolfgang just wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him while screaming that he was _so lucky_ to have a mother like that…

But he never did. He just kept his personal issues to himself.

Felix slammed the door shut. He let out a shivery breath. "Ok, Wolfie. We made it." he said. Wolfgang set his bookbag down near one of the chairs in the small living room as Felix bounded over to the closet. He grunted as he pulled a large quilt out, tugging it from the inner shelf with all his might. "Have a seat!" he called back to Wolfgang, gathering the quilt up and walking towards his friend. Wolfgang seated himself on one of the chairs. The heap of quilt was tossed onto him as Felix scooted the second chair closer to him. "Stay here, I'll go make some hot chocolate!" he said. Wolfgang spread the quilt out carefully, making it evenly distributed between himself and the empty chair his friend would soon be occupying. He settled back and tried to relax himself. It was ok. He was with Felix. There was nothing to fear and nothing to worry about. He was going to be ok. Wolfgang squeezed the quilt in his fists a bit. No, don't tense. It's going to be alright. Felix would protect him—Felix knew how to lie if they ever got caught skipping school. It would be fine. He had nothing to fear. No one could hurt him here—

"It's ready! It's ready!" Felix called from the kitchen.

Wolfgang was immediately pulled out of the consuming thoughts as Felix ran towards him with a steaming mug. "Made it special for you," he added with a smile. Wolfgang looked down into his mug. There were two tiny marshmallows floating at the top—something Felix's mug didn't have. But the other boy just kept grinning as he popped their favorite movie into the VCR. He jumped into his chair and pulled the quilt up, taking a long noisy sip of hot chocolate. He earned a small giggle from his friend. The movie began and immediately both boys were mesmerized. This was Felix's all-time, number one, no-questions-asked _favorite_ film of all time. He knew every word. Every pause. Every dramatic expression. Wolfgang always joked that Felix was overdramatic because of the amount of movies he watched on a regular basis, but really he didn't mind. Sometimes Felix was the only light in his dark days. Even if that light was just a tiny spark ignited by a silly face or a two-worded joke.

Wolfgang set his now empty mug onto the floor beside his chair. It was about halfway through the movie. Felix had already finished his hot chocolate a while ago, and was still watching intensely. Wolfgang leaned over and adjusted his scrawny legs so that he was leaning over towards Felix, and rested his head on his shoulder. Felix broke his gaze from the television screen to look at him. "You don't get much sleep at home, yeah?" he murmured. Wolfgang stayed quiet, and shook his head after a moment. Felix brought a hand up to gently stroke Wolfgang's head, just behind his ears down to the back of his neck. "You get all the rest you need here, Wolfie. You're a tough guy. But even tough guys have to build up their strength." he whispered.

So the movie played on, except Wolfgang finally felt at peace enough to surrender to a much needed sleep. Felix held his head there the whole time.


	4. Chapter 4

Wolfgang crawled on his belly across the filth-covered floorboards of his apartment, holding his breath to prevent any noise escaping his lips. He scooted silently down the hallway with the flickering light. The view of the giant, hulking figure of his slumped father filled his young eyes, a sight he'd seen countless times before. The television set blurred in and out loudly across the room from where his father slightly swayed in his chair. Good. A distraction. Little Wolfgang slithered along the wall, still a bit behind his father, but approaching the kitchen wall quickly. His goal? Go to the kitchen, fill up a cup with water, bring it back to his room, give it to Felix, never get caught. Felix hadn't been feeling well that day at school, and he'd started coughing later on in the day. He was tired and said his chest hurt. There had been countless times where Wolfgang had been sick and Felix was always right there to be the doctor. Now his best friend needed him and Wolfgang was willing to do anything for him.

Wolfgang was about to round the corner into the kitchen when suddenly he heard the heavy mass he called Father grunt. He froze on the ground. Anton banged his fist on the table, swung his head slowly, and rubbed his eye with a beastly fist. "How do you like your fucking morphine now?" he growled loudly. With that, he hurled an empty beer bottle at the wall across from him. Glass shards rained everywhere. A few made it to where Wolfgang hid, stinging his bare arms and shoulders. He bit his lip and held back a wince. After a moment, his heart sank as Anton rose from the table, giving it a shove away from him as if it was a paparazzi asking a movie star a sensitive question. "Put your family into fucking debt with your spending! ' _Meine Medikamente, meine Medikamente_ '—bullshit!" he shouted again. He was stepping closer and closer to the kitchen. Closer and closer to where Wolfgang was lying. Anton threw his fist at the wall, leaving yet another gaping hole in the chipping, peeling drywall of their dingy apartment. Wolfgang sprang up from his position, running almost silently back down the hallway to his bedroom. He managed to get in and close the door just as Anton turned around.

Felix sat up in the dirty bed, looking at his shaking friend with wide eyes. "Did he catch you?" he asked hoarsely. Wolfgang shook his head. He climbed into his bed beside Felix, allowing the familiar arms to wrap around him. He dropped the empty cup onto the sheets. "I'm sorry, Felix." he whispered. "I'm just a coward." Felix gasped, pulling Wolfgang in closer to him. "No, no, no! Shhh…you're no coward, Wolfie. How could you possibly think you're a coward? You're the bravest man I know. You live here every day." he murmured. He moved to lay down and pulled Wolfgang with him. Having sleepovers all the time accustomed them to sharing a bed. It was rare that sleepovers were held at Wolfgang's apartment for obvious reasons, but tonight was an overtime shift for Felix's mother, so Wolfgang had offered to let Felix stay for the night. It was just unfortunate that he wasn't feeling well. Wolfgang shrugged Felix's hand off of his shoulder. "I need to do something about it. It's not fair that you're staying overnight and yet you're going to sleep sick, thirsty, and hungry." he muttered. Felix moved his knees up to pull Wolfgang near again. "Wolfie, this is just one night for me. But this has been every night for eleven years for you. And that's why you're the bravest man I know." Wolfgang stared into Felix's chocolate eyes, searching for any hint of a joke or a laugh. But when Felix was serious, his eyes had a grave look to them. The kind that Wolfgang was peering into now. He was about to reply to his friend, tell him that he would be dead without him, that he probably would've found a way to kill himself or run away from everything by now if it wasn't for him, but suddenly there was a rough bang against the wood of his door.

Both boys startled. Wolfgang leapt out of bed, wanting to prove to Felix that he was braver than just surviving. "Open the door, boy." Anton sneered from the other side. "Hide, Felix." Wolfgang begged. Felix tried to argue but Wolfgang threw the ragged sheet over his friend and mussed it up to look like an unmade bed. Wolfgang opened his bedroom door. Immediately Anton grabbed him by the neck, earning a strangled choke from the small boy he was dragging. By the time he was thrown against the rickety kitchen wall, he already had tears in his eyes. "Think you're so smart, boy?" Anton jeered. "Sneaking around here like I wouldn't notice?" he punctuated his last two words with blows to the side of Wolfgang's head. The boy let out a cry and held his hands up to block any further punches. Anton grabbed the pair of tiny hands and held them high above Wolfgang's head; he then pinned him to the wall. "When you're home, I don't want to see you—" a punch to the stomach, "hear you—" another punch to the chest, "or have to fucking deal with you!" A heavy blow right to Wolfgang's groin, making him let out a yelp of pain. He immediately bit his lip though and wished he didn't make that sound. Because now he'd have to start counting. Anton let out a wiry, grinding laugh. "Are you going to start crying?" he asked. "Like a little bitch? Tell me, Wolfgang. Tell me what the five things in life are." He tightened his grip on the boy's sore wrists. Panting and gasping in pain, Wolfgang struggled to find his voice. One sharp tug on the hair reminded him where it was though. "E-E…E-Eating…" he whispered. A rough smack to the side of his face. "D-D-Drink…ing…" Another sharp blow. Tears ran down his face freely now, his hoarse throat beginning to clench with choked sobs. Suddenly he heard his father let out a shout and the meaty hand pinning his wrists slackened. Wolfgang yanked them away. The huge man turned around with the balance and accuracy of a troll and revealed Felix standing behind him, an angry look on his face, a box of matches in one hand, a freshly emptied bottle of beer that had been used to douse his father's back in the other. One of the matches was against the grain of the box in preparation to strike.

Anton let out another low growl of a laugh. "Look who came to save you, little bitch." he snarled. "It's your boyfriend." Felix's cheeks tinted pink slightly but he moved the match farther down the box. "I wouldn't say much else," Felix warned.

"Why is that, boy? You think I'd stop because of _you?_ "

"Well, I'm not the one doused in alcohol and practically begging to be lit up in an instant."

"…What?"

"Alcohol burns. With how much I just poured on you and how much you've already drunken inside of you I expect you'd burn pretty fast if I were to light a match around you."

"…And then you and your pretty boy friend would be thrown in jail for murder."

"A burned body is nearly unidentifiable. They never find fingerprints on a burned body."

Wolfgang's heart leapt. His Felix was two steps ahead again! Here to save him as always. He remembered the crime movie they'd recently watched, where one of the victims was burned after being shot to death. It was true, identification was nearly impossible. Not that his pea-brained father would understand. Wolfgang just noticed that Felix had his backpack slung over his shoulder already. "Wolfie and I are leaving. So let him go or I strike a match." Felix bargained. Anton, still baffled by the science behind the boy's offer, stood swaying slightly. "Go, Wolfie." Felix murmured. Wolfgang was too afraid to move. What if his father lunged at both of them? What if he hit Felix? What if Felix lost the matches? What if they couldn't make it out? As he got lost in his thoughts, he suddenly felt a hand slip around his and start pulling him towards the door. And sure enough, Anton lunged. But Felix had his hand out in a second, making direct contact with Anton's nose. The beastly man howled. "Go!" Felix shouted. The two boys ran down the dirty apartment hallway towards the staircase, flying down the steps at a faster pace than they ever had before. Anton raced after them, staggering and crashing into walls. But for his size he was quick. And determined. Felix and Wolfgang linked hands at the bottom of the stairs and took off through the front door. They dashed out into the open, zigzagging through the streets. Anton was on their tracks. "The alleyway!" Wolfgang panted to his friend. "We can confuse him!" The pair ducked into a hidden alley just as Anton rushed by shouting. They leaned against the brick wall, heaving rasping breaths and shaking. Felix looked awful now. Wolfgang was sure that if he had a thermometer under his tongue, it would read that Felix was boiling a fever. "Go home, Felix." he gasped out.

"What? No way!" the other boy replied immediately.

"Just go. I have to do something. You need to go home though. I'll meet you there."

"Wolfie, I'm not leaving you. He could catch you!"

"He's not going to. Just please, Felix. Please trust me. I'll be there soon."

"…Ok. But if you're not at my apartment in half an hour or less, I'm calling the police, yeah?"

"Deal. I'm going to need to borrow your matches, please."

Wolfgang grabbed the pack of matches that was handed to him and stepped out of the alley. Suddenly, he was pulled back towards Felix for a moment. He felt himself get wrapped in a warm embrace. "Please be safe, Wolfie." Felix whispered close to his ear. Wolfgang nodded in affirmation. When his friend let go of him, he set off down the street, trailing far enough behind his father to not be noticed yet close enough to be in range. He stooped to pick up a long cord next to a bag of rotting garbage. And then he snaked his way down another alley as a shortcut to get ahead of his father.

Felix sat on his bed, glancing at the clock on the wall every ten seconds. Where was Wolfgang? Five more minutes and he was calling the cops. He said he'd be here by now. A shiver passed through him—this cold was going to be a real doozy. He hoped and prayed that his friend would just return so they could both get to healing. And maybe play hospital as they liked to do when one was sick or hurt. Suddenly he heard the front door creak open and hurried footsteps patter in. Felix didn't feel well enough to get up and meet him at the door. Sure enough, Wolfgang came running into his room, slamming the door shut behind him and locking it. "Wolfie! Are you alright?" Felix asked, opening his arms to the nervous and panicked boy that had taken to pacing around the room. Wolfgang didn't answer. Felix tried to be patient, but he just had to know what happened. "Did he hurt you? Wolfie talk to me." he begged. Wolfgang froze where he was for a moment. He turned big green eyes up to Felix, and there were no tears, no redness, and no sign of bruising. "Felix," the boy whispered. "If I did a really bad thing, like something I'm going straight to Hell for…would…would you still be my friend?" Felix pushed himself off the bed with every amount of strength he had. The chills made his skin crawl and he cringed at the feeling. But he took Wolfgang's hands anyway and led him to the bed. "I wouldn't just be your friend." he assured. "I would be your partner in crime. Your coverup, your alibi, your bail money. I would stick with you to the end." Finally, Wolfgang's eyes welled with tears. He rubbed at them with his hands. "My father isn't ever coming back." he whispered.

Felix closed his eyes. He squeezed the crying boy's hands a little tighter. "How did you do it?" he asked. Wolfgang gulped air. "A rope. I tied it to his neck from behind. Once he was strangled I put him in an unmarked car and poured alcohol on him. You said it would burn. You said he would burn. So I lit him up. And now no one will know it was me. You have to promise me you'll never tell another soul, Felix. Swear to it. Felix, please, _please_ promise me." the panicked boy begged. Felix pulled him into a hug. "I promise, Wolfie." he murmured gravely. "You and I are in this together. I've got you, Wolfie. Don't you worry about a thing. God, you're a saint for finally killing that sack of shit. Your Mama would be proud of you. And just because she's not here doesn't mean she isn't. Let me be proud of you for her." Wolfgang let out a heaving sob into Felix's shoulder.

When the police arrived later in the night looking for Wolfgang, the two boys had prepared an entire story, a "script" as Felix had called it, that worked amazingly. They arrived at the Bernner's apartment looking for Wolfgang Bogdanow, asking if he had any idea where his father might be on a night like this. Wolfgang answered that he would more than likely be at a pub. The officers exchanged worried glances, then asked to come in and speak to an adult. Felix explained that it was just the two of them there because his mother was working late and had asked Wolfgang to sleep over so that she knew Felix had someone around if he needed anything since he'd been sick for a while. Then they broke the news to Wolfgang. Someone had murdered his father and tried to destroy the body in a burning car. Wolfgang was "devastated". He asked many questions that an eleven-year-old boy would ask, he cried, he wanted to know who killed his father. The officers said they were going to look into it but it might've just been a random street shooting. Felix held Wolfgang's hand the entire time. He pretended to comfort and be completely shocked, he asked to go phone his mother at work, and he stayed near his friend's side as promised.

Because he knew those were tears of relief.


End file.
